Mirrors
by Rose-de-Noire
Summary: Severus Snape tumbles through a mirror and wins some insight. And definitely AU/EWE


I wrote this for a snarry fest last year over at live journal but, this is the unedited, though proof-read, edition I wrote first.  
I lost the edited-by-several-persons-doc I posted there.  
And yes, it is full of cliché. But, that was the plan.  
It's also AU/EWE  
Have fun!

 **MIRRORS**

He stumbled a bit, frowning at the room he had ended up in.  
He remembered to have been staring into the Mirror of Erised and then the world had vanished in a maelstrom of wild magic.  
Now that his senses had cleared up a bit, he looked around, taking in his surroundings. It looked a lot like a storage room. A storage room full of the most powerful magical artefacts he had ever seen in one place. Had he ended up in the ministry? He hoped not.

He wondered how he had not yet triggered any alerts as there were wards all around the place. Heavy wards. He could feel the magic prickling on his skin.

He slowly and warily walked up the few steps to the door and pressed on the handle, wand ready in his hand. The door opened without any fuss and he stood in a brightly lit corridor which remembered him instantly of Grimmauld Place number twelve, if not for the dark green and silvery wallpaper.

He decided that forward was the only way to go. He had just entered what _decidedly_ looked like the living room of Grimmauld Place number twelve, but much less horrible as he remembered it. Had Potter sold the place after all?

This was the moment the fireplace roared to live and – was that Potter? – someone stepped through.  
He found himself snatched and smothered in a bone crushing hug. It had happened to fast and had taken him to much off guard to even lift his wand. Thank Merlin!  
"You're home already Severus?! I thought you'll work late! Is everything okay at Hogwarts?"

Snape had tensed up in the arms of, undoubtedly, Harry Potter.  
The intimate closeness didn't last long as Potter pushed him away several inches and looked him up and down, green eyes without glasses mustering him intently, then the man's – how _old_ was Potter? – hands fell from his upper arms where he'd griped him. "You're not _my_ Severus." It hadn't been a question.

"Potter," he snarled, "what is going on here. If this is one of your misguided..."

Potter slapped a hand to his own forehead and dragged it down. "I really would prefer if you were _my_ Severus. We got over this about fifteen years ago!"  
Snape blinked. Had Potter just interrupted him? His face must have given away the thought as Potter promptly spoke up again.  
"Yes, I did. I don't care about your ego. You look like Severus looked right after the war, there's some silver strands and some laughter lines missing. And your magical signature is slightly different. So I guess that wherever you come from, the war's just over. Isn't it?"

Snape nodded. For once stunned into silence. Potter and the Snape from this place must be rather intimately acquainted if the prat was able to tell a difference in his magical signature. Not to mention they were obviously on first name therms.  
This was the moment they could hear the front door open and Potter suddenly was right in Snape's face and hissed. "Behave. Hurt her in anyway and you will wish Voldy back!"

There was a series of small and light footsteps and then a child ran into the room, launching herself at Potter who'd knelt down to catch her. "Daddy, daddy, can I have a pet?"  
Potter laughed and shook his head. "How about 'Hello papa, hello daddy!' Lily Eileen Potter-Snape?"  
Snape froze up, staring wide eyed at the little, dark haired girl. He had just seen her from the back yet, but just now she swirled around and looked up at him, black eyes sparkling. "Papa, you're here!" She flung her arms around his legs and he was taken so off guard, that he noticed the nudge of legilimency way to late. _"Pick her up, hug her!"_ Potters voice in his head, loud and clear. At least the little sod did not snoop around.  
Snape did as he was told, hugged the little girl, the magic wave from Potter was enough to send the hairs on his neck bristle.  
Snape smiled for a moment as the girl hugged him back. This, this right here, had been everything he ever wanted. But, _this_ was not his. "Papa love's you..." he crooned so silent he could be sure Potter would not hear him. Lily's smile was blinding.  
The child ran off as soon he placed her on her own feet again, telling them she needed to pack for her weekend at the grandparents.

Potter looked at him and gave him a soft smile. "Thank you. And, my apologies to use legilimency on you, Professor!"

He didn't really know what to answer, so he kept silent and just inclined his head to a fraction.

Potter nodded. "Tea? We gonna solve you're mystery once Lils is at the Burrow. You know, you're not the first one."  
He arched a brow at that. Not the first one? Not the first one at what?  
But Snape followed Potter into the kitchen and watched him prepare tea.  
Almost an hour later Lily had been flooed off towards the burrow, he had gotten another hug, and Potter was answering his unspoken question.  
"There have been others falling through the mirrors. You should've seen the room in the ministry. It hadn't been opened in _years_ , also there hadn't been any wards to alert anyone if someone wanted to get out, instead of in..." Potter fell silent and shuddered.  
Snape spoke up. "There had been bones, I fathom."  
"You fathom right. I wanted those artefacts under close supervision. Severus agreed and thus these are here now."  
Snape nodded. That was all very reasonable.  
"Through which of the mirrors did you stumble, Snape?"  
He didn't want to answer this question. Not at all. So Snape asked. "How in Salazar's name did you get the minister to agree to this?"  
Potter's brows shot up into his hairline. "I was just lucky, I guess!"

They had made their way down into the room where Snape had arrived first and Potter glanced around, pointing his wand at the line of mirrors present, then he groaned. "Really now? I have no fucking clue how to get you back through this one, Snape. I need to get help!"

"We could try to figure it out?" Snape offered.  
Potter instantly shook his head. "No, I need Severus back, I think you might have switched places. And you, I am very sorry, have to go back too!" Then he turned to a fireplace and threw some floopowder in. "Hermione," he called, head in the green fire. "You there?"  
"Yes, in fact, we all are. It's the kiddy-free weekend, why are you not buggering Severus into next Wednesday Minister?" The woman, way older than Snape remembered, gave Potter a meaningful look.  
Potter, who had blushed furiously, if not at the naked state of his friend, so at the words, shook his head and continued in a matter of fact tone. "Look, Unspeakable Granger-Malfoy-Weasley, this is an urgent matter concerning the wizarding world as a whole." Then the tone changed back to friendly. "So please move through the flames and bring your companions along!"

 _Granger-Malfoy-Weasley?_ Snape thought, staring at the fireplace, still out of view for the woman.  
"Yes, as you wish Minister!" The Granger girl answered instantly.  
"Can we get dressed first Potter?" The distinctive and snooty voice of Draco Malfoy spoke up only to be followed by a yelp and Ron Weasley's reprimand. "Shut your trap brat and pack your pretty arse into your robes! Harry seems to need the cavalry!"

Hermione shrugged. "We're there in an instant Harry!"  
Potter nodded, closed the floo and finally looked back at him. "My apologies again. I guess this was a bit too much TMI for one day!"

He stared at Potter for a long moment, then asked. "Minister?"  
Potter bowed. "Minister of Magic, Harry Potter-Snape at your Service!"

Snape stared and then blurted out. "You _married_ the version of me from here?"  
Harry nodded. "Yes. We got married and adopted a child. I'm sorry if you're not having the same luck as we. But, you see, it's all the more important to get my Severus back."

Snape nodded. "How did you end up together, if I may ask?"

There was a cheeky grin on Potter's face as he sat down on the stairs leading out of the room, pointed his wand at a crate which was beside the steps and transformed it into a chair. "Have a seat. As much they will hurry up, they will take the time they need. They're aware it's not a 'real emergency'." Potter actually drew the quotation marks into the air. Literally. They hung there for a moment, sparkling, before they dissolved into a rain of glitter.  
Snape took the seat and tilted his head a fraction to the right, brow arched a millimetre.

Potter shrugged, raked a hand through his unruly hair with the greying temples, while tucking his wand behind an ear, and began to talk.

"I guess you survived with a bezoar and some bottled up phoenix-tears?"  
Snape nodded.

Potter nodded too. "Well, then let's start in the shack, Snape."  
Snape leaned back in his chair, stared intently at the Minister of Magic, arched his brow again and prompted him to speak.

Potter let out a soft laugh and continued. "Well, Hermione forced a bezoar down Severus's throat and I quite literally drenched his neck with bottled phoenix-tears, while Herm washed down the bezoar with blood replenisher." He made a short pause. "And yes, my stupid hero-complex saved Severus' life. And Herm's genius to know which potion of all of those I tugged out of his robes at that moment, was the right one to shove down and dump over his throat."

Potter took a deep breath and Snape nodded.  
 _That_ would explain how _he_ too had survived the shack.

"We didn't see each other for a few weeks." Potter continued. "Severus was in the hospital and I tried to help to get the world back to rolling. Then one day he just knocked on my door, all brooding menace, and first thanked me for saving his life, then apologised for treating me like dirt in school, then he sat in a chair and started to cry over Dumbledore. Well, needles to say that I with my hero-complex had to forgive him. We started out as friends after a few weeks of arguing, and ended up dating around Christmas." Potter shrugged. "That was about twenty years ago."

Snape was about to pose a question as the floo flared to life again and Hermione Granger, attired in official ministry robes and the insignia of the department of mysteries around her neck, stepped out, followed closely by a way older looking – as Snape remembered – Draco Malfoy and Ronald Weasley. Malfoy was dressed in a dark teacher robe and had the potion's master emblem pinned to his lapel, while Weasley wore the official robe of the DMLE and the insignia which identified him as the head of said department.  
Had Potter taken over the Magical World of Britain entirely?  
Said man in question leaned against Snape's back and whispered, as if he'd read his thoughts. "Remember who's my husband."

Snape refrained from answering and looked at the newcomers.  
Hermione looked him up and down, but before one of them was able to speak, Potter suddenly stood in front of him. "That's Snape, not Severus."  
It seemed to be enough to get Weasley to the point. "Mirror?" The wizard asked and Potter nodded, pointing towards the one he'd figured out earlier.

"Well," Draco stepped closer, taking Snape's appearance in, "why am I not surprised?"

"We have to get them switched back," the witch concluded.  
Potter chuckled. "Yeah, preferably."

Snape watched, a bit fascinated he had to admit, how the three of them got to work while Potter sat back down on the stairs, motioning for him to take his seat back too.  
"Let them work and bicker first. They're the best at what they do." Potter grinned. "But since they got bonded you better don't get between them. It's dangerous." He then gave Snape an encouraging look. "Anything else you would like to know?"

There was nothing else he could do at the moment, so he asked. "If Draco is the potion master at Hogwarts, what is Severus doing there?" It felt strange to use his own name like it belonged to someone else.

Potter's lips curved into a small smile. "He's the headmaster. But, we've a special arrangement with the board. He's allowed to spend a lot of time here at home. Or Lily and me at Hogwarts."

Snape nodded and then watched the three magicians work, wondering how they had ended up in a three-way bond.  
He almost laughed as Ronald Weasley hissed at Draco, "get of my foot ferret!" And the blond immediately shot back, "shut up weasel!" Hermione turned her gaze towards Potter and him and shrugged. "You must forgive my pets!"  
Potter snorted amused and Snape lifted the corner of his mouth.

Ten minutes later, the three magicians stepped up towards Snape and Potter, and Hermione began to speak, "we can send him back. But sadly I can't answer how the professor ended up here." Hermione swallowed. "Also, we don't know if it will bring Severus back."  
As Potter's eyes fell shut and and his shoulders sagged, Snape spoke up. "Just teach me. I swear an oath to do my utmost to send the Severus from here back!"  
Potter's eyes flew open and he looked so thankful, Snape wouldn't forget the expression as long he lived.  
"Well, then," Granger beckoned Snape over and pointed at the mirror in question, then launched into a complicated explanation.  
After the bigger part of an hour had passed, Snape solemnly nodded and stepped back up to Potter, placing a hand on the man's shoulder. "Thank you."  
He meant to say, _"thank you for what you told me, for the trust you give me to send_ your _Severus back, thank you for giving_ me _hope_." But, he couldn't speak all those words out loud.

Potter tilted his head to the side and arched his brow a fraction, much like Snape had done earlier and nodded. "You're welcome, _Severus_."

All four magicians watched in tense silence as Professor Snape stepped up to the mirror and placed his hands on the shimmering surface and began to chant his incantation.

Snape pushed forward, the mirror taking a liquid consistence and – found himself back were he had knelt a few hours ago, gracelessly stumbling away from the mirror of Erised he turned around.

Snape stared right back at the scene he had just left. Potter sitting on the steps, looking towards him, Granger, Weasley and Draco bickering pointlessly and, on Snape's – he looked slightly older – own hips balanced a dark haired, black eyed girl.  
"Lily..." he breathed out, brushing his fingertips against the glass.  
Snape's dark robes billowed around him as he swished around and hurried out of the room.  
A man on a mission.

Harry's head flew up as the door to his office was pushed open so hard it slammed against the wall and his inkwell tumbled over as he jumped to his feet, staring in shock at Professor Severus Snape.  
He hadn't seen the man since he'd brought him to the hospital and then Snape had refused to see him.

"Thank you for saving my life!" Severus Snape blurted out, staring at _Harry._

 **The End** _or a new beginning._


End file.
